What to wear?

In my ongoing quest to be at peace with my size 16 self, I’ve started branching out a bit in my blog reading and learning a bit about plus sized fashion. Yes, there’s a whole plus sized fashion blogosphere, people. Who knew? These women post pictures of their outfits and review items purchased at different vendors and really, I love them.

You know why? They’re confident as all hell. They’re styling themselves to fit their bodies, and they have serious sass. I want that sass. I want that confidence. And to get it, I think I’m going to have to start paying more attention to the clothing I wear, how I wear it, and what really looks good on me.

Here are a few of my favourite plus-sized fashion bloggers:

Curves and Chaos is written by Monique from LA. I’m curious about how tall she is (I’m 5’6), because from her pictures I’m thinking she’s about 5’2, but I can’t really tell. Anyway, I digress. Monique likes a blend of high fashion and low cost clothes. She also likes to review accessories that can make an outfit pop, like cool shoes (I covet all these women’s good feet!), bracelets, and even sassy nail polish.

Curvy Canadian is written by a PhD student from the 905 who loves her some vintage looks. She’s got a really great list/review of all the plus sized online and bricks and mortar stores. In particular, the list focuses on ones that exist in or ship to Canada, which is pretty awesome.

Fab Finds Under $50 is written by Kimberly and man, do I LOVE this blog. I would really like to go to Indianapolis just to go shopping with her, because she seriously knows how to get a bargain. I think her outfits, which are all exactly on trend, usually cost around $100, with the exception of her shoes. She really likes Coach shoes. I’m just sayin, if I had good feet, I might love Coach shoes too!

Lips Hips and Fatshion Tips is written by the Stiletto Siren and might be the sassiest of the bunch. I have to say, I would never wear the clothing that SS wears, but damn, I admire the way she rocks what she loves.

And then there’s my favourite: T Minus, T Plus. Tina is a lawyer from Texas who works in a conservative office, which means her outfits are very pretty but conservative, which is pretty much along my style desire. Tina’s on a mission to buy and review something from every single plus sized fashion retailer, and I have to say that her video reviews are pretty much the awesomest thing ever. She goes over construction quality, fabric, style, fit, and so on. She’s pretty awesome. Also, she’s following Weight Watchers, and takes photos of what she eats, which I find super interesting. Tina gets a lot of stuff (like Kimberly) from thrift stores, which is also pretty cool. I, for one, am not good with thrift stores. I’d like to go shopping with Tina, too. She buys really reasonably priced clothing and again, has some awesome shoes.

From their sites, I have branched out a bit and checked out new retailers, including:

Asos Curve, a UK retailer that ships internationally. They’ve got some lovely stuff that’s really reasonably priced, and the shipping is free, which you know I love. Free being my favourite word, cheap being my second favourite! I bought something from here this week and will let you know how it all works out when it gets here in about 10 days.

eShakti is a one of a kind retailer that (believe it or not!) my brother sent me the link to about five or six months ago. It’s unique because they have a base price, but for another $8 you can get the item customized to your exact memberships. Yeah. I’m totally not kidding. So, you love a $60 dress, but you have issues because your waist is bigger than the size chart. No problem. Just submit about 10 specific measurements and they customize the dress for you for $8!! You know how much a hit or miss dress from Addition-Elle costs? $80 to $90. Enough said.

CityChic is a little more out there than I am personally comfortable with, but only because they’re more “look at me” clothes, and I’m not there yet. Still, if that’s what you’re into, they’ve got some cool stuff.

Carmakoma is a Danish shop that seems to specialize in black, grey, and other neutrals. If you’ve ever seen me in person, you totally know I’m all over that like a dirty shirt. I found this site this week and ordered something from it the same day. Also, totally not like me since I normally agonize over stuff I’m purchasing.

ModCloth has a lot of cool retro looking items. I so totally want these dresses, all of them, and they’re so reasonably priced! Their size charts are pretty out of whack with my measurements though, so anything I bought would have to be altered, making it less likely that I’ll buy from here.

Kiyonna is straight up a dress retailer. I had a black wrap dress from here which was a staple. It’s too big now, and was a bit pilly, so I just tossed it, but man, I loved that dress. Every single time I get an email from Kiyonna I look at what’s new on their site. I covet. I covet. I know they’ll look good on me and I covet.

We Love Colors only sells tights. But man, do they ever sell tights! I wear a lot of black, and I’m not gonna lie, my legs are the only part of my body that I like. I could totally get down with having some funky tights.

All of the above shops ship to Canada, for varying prices. Retailers that I wish shipped to Canada include: Lane Bryant, Target, and Avenue. Sadly, for those I actually have to either ship to a US address or go there to shop.

I’m actually going to NYC this fall and have a list of stores to hit up.

First and foremost, I want to go to Re/Dress, a vintage and resale plus sized clothing store. Interestingly, it has a communal change room, which I understand is both a bonding experience and very positive.

Then I want to go to Leelee’s Valise, often featured on What Not to Wear. They make their own tops and dresses, and import some fancy denim.

Finally, I’m totally going back to Macy’s, where they’ve got designer brands like Michael Kors. And, hundreds of winter jackets. I’m so all over that like a dirty shirt.

So, that’s it for my review of plus sized fashion. I’m working on self-acceptance, and part of that is working on embracing the body I have, which is healthy and strong and meets the lifestyle I want. I’ve whittled my wardrobe down to a very small amount of clothes and will replace them with items that I love and that make me feel good about myself.

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2 comments

What an awesome, positive attitude! I feel the same in my curvy bod. Life is too short to hate the only body I have. Better to embrace it, love it, and do good things for it no matter what size I am – including feeling fun and pretty in my clothing choices. I’m going to check out the links you listed. Thanks so much!

Love the bost, Kerri, but caveat emptor on these online sites. I ordered from eShakti a few years ago and was none too impressed. Not only did nothing fit, but the materials are basic at best. Super duper cheap though, so if you can afford a few mistakes, go for it!